Nashville students staged anti-gun walkout, marched to capitol

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (NBC, KYMA/KECY) - Students across Nashville, Tennessee staged a walkout Monday to demand action be taken against gun violence.

The walkout started at 10:13am Eastern time, the same time police began receiving calls about an active shooter inside the Covenant School one week ago.

Three nine-year-old students and three school staff members were gunned down, before officers were able to rush into the building and take down the heavily armed shooter.

On Monday, thousands of students walked out of school and marched to the capitol building in Nashville to send a coordinated message demanding that state lawmakers do something to end gun violence, especially in schools.

The crowd grew in numbers as they approached the capitol. They held signs and chanted messages calling for "Gun control now," and saying, "The NRA has got to go" and "not one more."

Last week, two U.S. Senators from Tennessee, Marsha Blackburn and Bill Hagerty, unveiled legislation to create a $900 million federal grant program to pay for updated physical school safety measures. These include hiring more armed guards, better security cameras, and metal detectors. This is in the wake of the Covenant School shooting.

However, the bill did not address any gun control laws.